The first dust storm of the summer blasted Phoenix on Thursday night with strong and blinding winds that forced the cancellation of holiday plans, knocked out power to thousands, and grounded numerous flights.

Major changes may be underway for Phoenix-based PetSmart, which is the largest brick-and-mortar pet products company in the country. The retailer has fallen way behind in the online world and now could be up for sale.

The number of high ozone alerts vary from year to year, but are most common during the Valley’s hot summer months. And rising temperatures could create complications for people with respiratory problems.

New labor statistics show that Arizona ranks next to last in its recovery of jobs lost in the Great Recession as it still struggles to dig out of the hole from the collapse of the construction industry.

A lawsuit between a local home builder association and the city of Surprise could get uglier this summer when it goes before the Arizona Court of Appeals. The conflict is over the issue of impact fees.

The Arizona Heritage Fund is ready to dole out more than $400,000 for wildlife protection programs. Lawmakers tried to raid the fund’s coffers during the recession, but they ended up taking money away from other state programs that preserve wilderness areas.

The First Lady of Guatemala is in Southern Arizona to see how the region is handling the surge of unaccompanied child migrants, many of them from her home country. One of her stops today was a Border Patrol facility for kids in Nogales.

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